Capturing the shot

“This monkey shot is special to me because it would be hard to get now. Jigokudani park in Japan, the now famous park where the macaques sit in a hot springs, has gotten incredibly crowded to where there are crowds of people there nearly all the time. While it’s still possible to get close to the monkeys, it’s gotten much harder to get a wider shot (45mm on a full-frame camera) like this where you’re close to a monkey so that he’s big in frame and also capturing the environment. The mix of those elements is what makes this shot special. It provides a more intriguing visual story by providing context to the subject, and the monkey’s almost-human face lets us read his peaceful expression. The mist in the background also helps with the context by letting you tell there are other monkeys in the background without drawing your attention to them. Canon EOS 1Ds with Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS at 45mm. f/16, 1/80 sec, ISO 320.”